Lamma Harbor, Hong Kong

Lamma Island, which doesn’t have a very large population and is reallyrather small (I covered probably a solid 3/4 of it in about six hoursof hiking — though, true, it’s all quite mountainous so unfair toexpect folks to lug themselves up and over mountains just to get intotown…) has three (or is it four?) places where the ferries dock.This is the second-largest town on the island, and as you can see it’snot very big. It’s quite lovely, though, and all the banners arearound what’s either a new permanent temple going up, or a largetemporary pavilion for a festival or something — I have to admit Ijust couldn’t read enough of the characters to be sure, but there is alarge structure going up there, next to the permanent and ratherpretty little temple.

Lamma has a reputation of being “expat heaven” in Hong Kong — a smallisland fairly close to the main island, more or less across a shortstrait from the part where all the famous floating restaurants are.Since it’s not facing either Kowloon or the main city, and since it isa bit further out toward the open sea, the air is a bit clearer and Isuspect it’s maybe a touch cooler than the city during the hot summermonths. The main town is, indeed, chock full of European and Americantourists (but then, compared to Nanning, so is all of Hong Kong). Italso caters to them…to the extent that I was able to have acompletely delightful (and darned expensive, this being HK) meal at avegetarian, organic restaurant. 🙂